G is for GO!

thespanglishspeake
May 31
3 min read

As you can imagine, GO is an important verb in English. It’s used quite frequently and is one of the more important verbs in English. Let’s have a look at some of its many uses.

Basic Meaning: Movement from One Place to Another

At its core, go means to move away from where you are now.

I go to work at 8 a.m.
She goes to the gym every morning.
We're going to Spain next summer.

Notice that go implies movement away from the speaker, while come implies movement toward the speaker.

GO + -ING (Activities)

When talking about leisure activities, we often use go + verb-ing.

go swimming
go shopping
go running
go hiking
go fishing
go dancing
go skiing
go sightseeing

Example sentences:

We went shopping yesterday and spent too much money.
Do you want to go hiking this weekend?
They go dancing every Friday night.

COLLOCATIONS

GO + Adjective (describing a change of state)

go crazy — The crowd went crazy when the band appeared.
go mad — I'll go mad if I have to wait any longer.
go blind — He went blind after the accident.
go deaf — She's going deaf in her old age.
go bald — My father went bald in his thirties.
go bad — The milk has gone bad.
go wrong — Everything went wrong at the wedding.
go viral — The video went viral overnight.

Other Essential GO Collocations

go ahead — Go ahead, I'm listening.
go for a walk/drive/ride — Let's go for a walk after lunch.
go on vacation / go on holiday — We're going on vacation next week.
go to bed / go to sleep — I usually go to bed at 11 p.m.
go home (no "to"!) — I'm tired. I want to go home.
go abroad — Have you ever gone abroad?
go online — I need to go online to check my email.

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Phrasal Verbs with GO

Phrasal verbs combine go with particles to create new meanings.

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

go ahead proceed Go ahead and start without me.

go away leave; disappear This headache won't go away.

go by pass (time) Time goes by so fast.

go with match Does this tie go with my shirt?

go without lack We had to go without electricity for a week.

go along with agree I'll go along with your decision.

Special Expressions

"How's it going?" / "How did it go?"

These are common informal greetings and questions about outcomes.
Hey! How's it going? (= How are you?)
How did your interview go? (= What was the result?)

"Here we go" / "There you go"

Here we go! — Said when starting something.
There you go. — Said when giving something to someone or when something is confirmed.

"Go for it!"

An expression of encouragement meaning "try it" or "do it."
Should I apply for the job? — Definitely! Go for it!

Conclusion

Keep practicing these expressions, and soon using GO in all its forms will feel completely natural. See you in the next post, where we'll explore the letter H!